Antisemitic Language

The vocabulary of antisemitic abuse is both extensive and colourful. Much of it harks back to the ideology and behaviour of Nazi Germany, while more recent anti-Jewish language is rooted in the anti-Israel narrative. The most frequently used expressions are shown below.

Cockroach / Rat / Parasite / Disease / Sickness / Virus

These words all deliberately draw upon the language used by Nazi Germany to characterise Jews and to justify the attempt to exterminate them.

Jews were considered by Hitler to be sub-human. He described them as a sickness that had infected Germany. He also portrayed them as an infestation of vermin.

The Rothschilds established themselves as a wealthy family of bankers in the early nineteenth century. They appear in many anti-Jewish conspiracy theories as a sinister, controlling force. The use of ‘Rothschild’ (i.e. ‘A Rothschild plot’) is invariably a device to avoid saying ‘Jew’ or ‘Jewish’.

It is problematic due to its having been adopted in the 1970s by the strong Jewish fan base of Tottenham Hotspur as a badge of identification in response to antisemitic chanting from opposing supporters. It is still used today, even though the Jewish support is now far smaller. Many Jews are unhappy with its use in this context. It continues to provoke antisemitic chanting, including songs about Auschwitz and hissing intended to resemble the sound of the gas used by the Nazi to murder Jews.

An extremely complicated and often confusing term, as it can be used quite legitimately in political discussion. Zionism is simply the belief of the Jewish people in their right to exist, free from persecution, in their own country. Those claiming to be only anti-Zionist, not antisemitic are denying Israel’s right to exist, which is considered to be one of the manifestations of antisemitism. Criticism of specific policies of the Israeli government is not antisemitic.

‘Zionist’ is increasingly being used as a way of avoiding saying Jew. People who do this will usually exhibit other forms of antisemitic behaviour. The use of modifications, such as Zio, ZioTroll, and especially ZioNazi is always clearly antisemitic in intent.

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Campaign Against Antisemitism is a volunteer-led charity dedicated to exposing and countering antisemitism through education and zero-tolerance enforcement of the law. Everything that we do is done by people who volunteer their time, using donations contributed by members of the public. Join the fight against antisemitism by subscribing to our updates, volunteering, or donating.